by Shawn Wells

Created on: May 12, 2011

For some, writing is a gift.  Taking pen in hand, some people can easily and readily put their thoughts into words, instruct us on various topics, or create flights of fancy so real that they make images in our minds of things we've never seen.

For others, writing is a learned skill.

Many are surprised to learn that countless best-selling authors learned their craft.  If only those people who were born with the writing gene ever wrote novels, there would be far fewer books produced every year.  So obviously it's possible to learn to write, and learn to write well.  But how?  Here are some tips.

Read.  A lot.

This is really a first step.  But, don't just pick up any book at hand and expect it to help you learn how to write.  Pick books on subjects that you enjoy.  Like science fiction?  Read science fiction.  Like mysteries?  Read mystery novels.  Romance novels, true crime novels, westerns, any genre has its own story elements, its own style.  There are expectations in a good science fiction story that have nothing to do with a good romance novel, for instance.  And vice versa.  If you want to write science fiction, read science fiction.  If you want to write romance novels, don't read science fiction novels.

Get familiar with the writing styles of the best names in your selected genre.  Or, concentrate on one or two authors whose writing style you enjoy most.  Ultimately your own style should be unique to you.  But to get started, look to those people who are already successful.  They obviously are doing it right.

Practice.  A lot.

Sit down at the typewriter, or take up that pen, and write.  Do exercises daily by setting a topic for yourself and seeing what you can do with it.  Write a short story about the dog who fell in love with the neighbor's cat.  Write a poem about a farm tractor.  Write a two-page description of an alien world with emphasis on the buildings and methods of transportation.  Basically, practice.  If you wanted to run the Boston Marathon, you'd practice by running a little every day until you could run the 26.2 miles with no problems.  Learning to write is no different than any other skill.  You need to practice.

Proofread what you wrote.

No one ever sat down and wrote the perfect novel at their first attempt.  And most of those who claim they did are wrong.  Don't expect to

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